In his book “How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course in Copywriting,” Victor O. Schwab stresses the importance of pressing for immediate action. Schwab asks: Has this ever happened to you? Your friends have had a nice evening at your home. Yet their goodbye goes like this: “We’ve had such a great time. […]

Advertising legend David Ogilvy used the video below to explain his “secret weapon.” Even though Ogilvy focuses on direct response in this video, his message applies to you and me today: the function of all sales/marketing/advertising is to sell, and successful advertising is based on knowing the consumer. As you watch, pay close attention to […]

This is “How I Made My First $10,000,” a new, ongoing feature that gives all of us a glimpse at how other solopreneurs hit the challenging $10k milestone. If you would like to be the “How I Made My First $10,000,” please send me an email. Name of solopreneur: Treg Stark Name of business: (At […]

As I was walking through Lowe’s last week to buy a replacement water filter for our regrigerator, I walked past the grills. With the outdoor air temperature at 8 degrees below zero, seeing the grills “elevated my mood,” as they say in the world of psychology. Amid the grill section was a display of accessories: […]

David Ogilvy was widely regarded as the 20th century’s most sought-after advertising executive. Even though we’re 15 years removed from his death in 1999, his reputation and stature continue to grow. The foundation for Ogilvy’s greatness was an unwavering faith in great copywriting, with copywriting defined as “salesmanship in print.” Last week I wrote a […]

My 13-year-old daughter, Clare, is a big fan of alternative music. Her knowledge is extensive. Her best friends say she’s “Bohemian” and they like hanging with someone who isn’t into Top 40. Alt is an important part of Clare’s junior-high identity. When I pick up Clare after school, she hops in my Jeep and before […]

I’ve had “polls” as an item on my “story ideas” list for more than a year. Today is the day I got ‘er done! Your voice is needed, so participate in the poll and tell others about it, too. If this goes well, there will be more solopreneur polls in the future. If you have […]

There used to be a saying in American business: “Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.” The saying meant: IBM was the safe choice; you could count on IBM products to do a good job; IBM products might (or might not) do a great job, but they wouldn’t be a disaster. In a recent report […]

As solopreneurs, we often focus on customer characteristics but in the process we fail to figure out what’s inside our customers’ heads. In his book, The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, Jeffrey Gitomer lists reasons why people buy products and services: • To solve a problem • They need it • They think they […]

Most people are reluctant to change, unless their situation demands it. Even when facing a problem, they try to deal with it instead of finding a solution. When wearing your sales hat, your job is to use questions to highlight a customer’s problem and help the customer discover for herself its magnitude. In his book […]